| |
 |
| |
|
|
SEARCH |
| |
About
Ignatius Insight |
| |
Who We Are |
 |
Article Archives |
| |
Most Recent |
| |
July-Dec 2005 |
| |
Apr-Jun 2005 |
| |
Jan-Mar 2005 |
| |
Nov-Dec 2004 |
| |
June-Oct 2004 |
|
Interviews |
| |
Insight Scoop Weblog |
| |
Author Pages |
| |
Pope John Paul II/ Karol Wojtyla |
| |
Pope Benedict XVI/Cardinal Ratzinger |
| |
Rev. Louis Bouyer |
| |
G.K. Chesterton |
| |
Fr. Thomas Dubay |
| |
Mother Mary Francis |
| |
Fr. Benedict Groeschel |
| |
Thomas Howard |
| |
Karl Keating |
| |
Msgr Ronald Knox |
| |
Peter Kreeft |
| |
Fr. Henri de Lubac, SJ |
| |
Michael O'Brien |
| |
Joseph Pearce |
| |
Josef Pieper |
| |
Richard Purtill |
| |
Steve Ray |
| |
Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, OP |
| |
Fr. James V. Schall, SJ |
| |
Frank Sheed |
| |
Fr. Hans Urs von Balthasar |
| |
Adrienne von Speyr |
| |
Books |
| |
Press Info |
| |
Music |
| |
Videos |
| |
CD-ROMs |
| |
Sacred
Art |
| |
Catechetical
Resources |
| |
Loome/Ignatius
Project |
| |
Magazines |
| |
Catholic
World Report |
| |
H&P
Review |
| |
Request
Catalog |
| |
Web Specials |
| |
|
| |
Ignatius
Press |
| |
History |
| |
Staff |
| |
Specials |
| |
Contact |
| |
|
| |
Noteworthy News |
| |
Catholic World News |
| |
EWTN News |
| |
Vatican News |
| |
Catholic News Agency |
| |
ZENIT |
| |
Catholic News |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
 |
| |
|
| |
 |
| |
|
| |
Pied Piper of Atheism: Philip Pullman and Children's Fantasy
| Pete Vere and Sandra Miesel
God Is No Delusion: A Refutation of Richard Dawkins
| Thomas Crean, O.P.
Socrates Meets Descartes
| Peter Kreeft
Sermon in a Sentence: Saint Thomas Aquinas
| John McClernon
New Outpourings of the Spirit
| Joseph Ratzinger
Meet Henri De Lubac
| Rudolf Voderholzer
Marian Devotion in the Domestic Church
| Catherine & Peter Fournier
Joseph Ratzinger: Life in the Church and Living Theology
| Maximilian Heinrich Heim
The Greek Fathers: Their Lives and Adventures
| Adrian Fortescue
Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The Letter to the Hebrews
| Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch
Chastity, Poverty and Obedience
| Mother Mary Francis, P.C.C.
The Blessing of Christmas
| Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
Chance or Purpose?: Creation, Evolution, and a Rational Faith
| Chrisoph Cardinal Schšnborn
Island of the World: A Novel
| Michael O'Brien
The Order of Things
| James V. Schall, S.J.
The Judge: William P. Clark, Ronald Reagan's Top Hand
| Paul Kengor & Patricia Clark Doerner
Seek that Which is Above
| Pope Benedict XVI
Jesus, the Apostles and the Early Church
| Pope Benedict XVI
God and His Image: An Outline of Biblical Theology
| Dominique Barthelemey
An Invitation to Faith: An A to Z Primer on the Thought of Pope Benedict XVI
| Pope Benedict XVI
Mother Benedict: Foundress of the Abbey of Regina Laudis
| Antoinette Bosco
Pope Benedict XVI: The Conscience of Our Age
| Vincent Twomey
Ronald Knox as Apologist: Wit, Laughter and the Popish Creed
| Fr. Milton Walsh
Christians in China: A.D. 600-2000
| Jean Charbonnier
|
|
|
Last
Days' Lore
Review of Michael O'Brien's
A Cry of Stone
National Catholic Register, July 2004
by Ann Applegarth
 If
you've read any or all of Michael D. O'Brien's previous best-selling novels
- Father Elijah, Eclipse of the Sun, Plague Journal, Strangers and Sojourners
- you don't need me to tell you that the Children of the Last Days's,
series is more than just wonderfully entertaining fiction. It's also a lens
through which our age can be viewed in intriguingly refracted light.
Loosely based on the real lives of a number of native North Americans,
A Cry of Stone explores what it means to be poor in spirit. The story
begins with this description of Rose Wabos, its heroine: "First she
was small. She was very, very small, and that was good because no one could
see her."
By contrasting the seemingly insignificant life of this young Ojibwe painter
with the sophisticated and often hollow world of wealth and leisure, O'Brien
is able to play good and evil one another to compelling effect.
Besides being diminutive, Rose suffers constant pain from a spinal problem.
But, because of her Catholic faith, she uses her pain for good and focuses
instead on the beauty she sees in the natural world and in the people she
meets, and on art that reflects greatness of heart, mind and soul. Much
like the "little way!' of St. Thérese of Lisieux, Rose’s
simple way enables her to wisely view life in the light of Christ's saving
love.
In addition to being an accomplished novelist, O'Brien is himself an artist
of note whose paintings and murals can be seen in museums and churches across
North America. In fact, since Ignatius wisely chose his beautiful "Creation"
for the jacket of A Cry of Stone, readers can enjoy a taste of the
author's art.
It is O'Brien's artist's eye that, finally, makes this novel so compelling.
In lyrical prose so lovely and sensuous you'll want to read several passages
multiple times, he describes scenes, characters and action with a painter's
eye for detail.
Here's a tiny taste of O'Brien's descriptive acumen: "In the bottom
land, the road swerved around an increasing number of thorn-brakes and hummocks
of smooth white stone jutting from under the earth like broken bones. Flocks
of small black birds wheeled in unison, broke in midair, for no apparent
reason, and scattered, only to rejoin in aerial choreography and settle
in the fields, as if on signal. Their little chorus filled the air while
meadowlarks, fewer in number, contributed their piercing solitary notes."
The plot might turn on a happy coincidence one or two times too many for
some demanding fiction fans, but anyone who enjoys getting lost in the art
of a gifted storyteller will enjoy this outing - all 800-plus pages of it.
Also, as with all Ignatius books, you get used to seeing commas outside
of quote marks quickly enough and after awhile stop. noticing the quirk.
Graceful writing coupled with an absorbing story and multidimensional characters
make for an engrossing read no matter who the writer is. To these qualities
O'Brien adds theological, philosophical and spiritual depth - all informed
by his fierce fidelity to the Catholic faith. For that reason, A Cry
of Stone can rightly be called an important Catholic novel.
That's another way of saying the book, like its predecessor volumes in this
series, challenges as it entertains. Truly ideal summer-reading fare.
.Ann Applegarth writes firom Roswell, New Mexico.
Reprinted by permission from National
Catholic Register. ©2004.
|
|
|
|
|
|
G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936) was one of the finest Christian authors and apologists
of the past two hundred years. Raised as an agnostic, he embraced Christianity as a young man, ultimately entering the Catholic Church
in 1922. He wrote hundreds of essays, as well as novels, short stories, poetry, apologetics, literary
criticism, and nearly everything else imaginable. Dale Ahlquist, president and co-founder of the American
Chesterton Society and author of
G.K Chesterton: Apostle of Common Sense, writes, "Chesterton was equally at ease with literary and social criticism,
history, politics, economics, philosophy, and theology. His style is unmistakable, always marked
by humility, consistency, paradox, wit, and wonder. His writing remains as timely and as timeless
today as when it first appeared, even though much of it was published in throw away paper." Read more
about the life and work of this remarkable thinker, author, and apologist.
|
Confessions of an Ex-Feminist
by Lorraine V. Murray
Confessions is the honest and heart-rending account of a woman who was born into a Catholic family, attended parochial schools and
fully embraced the beliefs of her faith, but ran into major roadblocks in college. Amidst the radical feminist college environment of
the 1960's, she lost her faith, and her morality, jumping aboard the bandwagon of "free love." She indulged in a series of love relationships
in college, all of which crashed and burned. Despite the obvious contradiction between feminist teachings and her own experience,
Murray still believed she had to free herself from the yoke of tradition. Attaining a doctorate in philosophy, with an emphasis on the
feminist writings of Simone de Beauvoir, Murray taught philosophy in college. For many years, she launched a personal vendetta against
God and the Catholic Church in the classroom, trying to persuade students that God did not exist, mocking values Catholics hold dear,
and touted feminism as the cure for many social ills. When she discovered she was pregnant, Murray followed the route that feminists
offer as a solution for unmarried women. Much to her surprise, her abortion was a shattering emotional experience, which she grieved
over for years. It was the first tragic chink in her feminist armor.
Read more about Confessions of an Ex-Feminist, or
read an excerpt from the book.
|
|
|
|
